On behalf of the Mas family, Jorge Mas, one of the most prominent Cuban American business leaders in the United States, has made a $5 million lead gift to CasaCuba at Florida International University.
A founding member of the CasaCuba Board of Advisors and chairman of the Board and co-founder of MasTec, his gift will support the mission and construction of CasaCuba, the university’s center for the celebration and preservation of Cuban culture and the study of Cuban affairs.
The facility will feature galleries for a wide range of exhibits, as well as a state-of-the-art venue for events, classes, performances and dynamic programming. In recognition of the gift, the Mas family will have a named, permanent wing in CasaCuba.
"For many years, FIU has been one of the world’s leading universities in the study of Cuba, and it has been our plan to build a home to share our wealth of resources related to Cuba in a vibrant academic and cultural center. That mission is CasaCuba," said FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg. "We thank the Mas family, who for decades have supported the dreams of Cuban Americans across our nation, for helping CasaCuba become a reality."
“My parents, like so many, fled communist Cuba in search of freedom and built a life in their adopted country, while never forgetting their homeland,” said Mas. “We make this gift in tribute to those who, like my father, did not live to see a free Cuba. My late father taught us that Cubans are un solo pueblo, one people—the Cubans on the island and the Cubans in exile. We are blessed to help build this home for all Cubans.”
From their humble start as Cuban exiles in Miami to the founding of MasTec, a global infrastructure construction company that became the first Cuban American Fortune 500 firm, the Mas family rose to prominence in South Florida. Jorge Mas Canosa, the Mas family patriarch, founded the Cuban American National Foundation (CANF) in 1981 with a group of fellow Cuban exiles. Jorge Mas presently serves as chairman of CANF. He is also managing owner of Inter Miami CF, Miami's Major League Soccer team. Rooted in the belief that education is the cornerstone of society, the Mas family established in 1996 the Mas Family Scholarships. Today the Mas Family Scholarships have supported the education of over 300 students in the most prestigious universities.
“We are profoundly grateful to Jorge Mas and the entire Mas family for their historic gift to CasaCuba,” said María Carla Chicuén, founding executive director of CasaCuba. “This is the moment to come together as a community to build the home for our heritage, where our story will always live on.”
"The Mas family is a pillar of the Cuban community in the U.S., and with this lead gift, they have stepped up as a pillar of CasaCuba. This gift is a show of solidarity and loyalty to Cuban heritage, love for the homeland and commitment to securing its future. It is our sincere hope that the Mas family's generosity will serve to inspire more prominent Cuban American families to become pillars of CasaCuba," said George Corton, a first-generation Cuban American who serves as chief development officer at the FIU Foundation.
René González Architects is now designing CasaCuba’s 57,000-square-foot facility on the University’s Modesto A. Maidique Campus. The iconic center will integrate the latest technologies to enable interactive and digital experiences across the space. CasaCuba will also house the Cuban Research Institute and promote engaging discussions that will bring together top scholars, policymakers and business leaders from around the globe.
The gift benefits the $750 million Next Horizon campaign, which advances student success and research excellence at FIU.
